The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Chattanooga, TN, experienced a significant ransomware attack on April 14, 2025, claimed by the Qilin gang. The attack disrupted the sheriff’s office IT systems for over two weeks, leading to the shutdown of essential services like the website, warrant search, tip line, and mugshot database. The hackers demanded a $300,000 ransom, but the sheriff’s office paid $48,000 to a cybersecurity firm instead. The extent of personal data compromised and the method of breach are still unverified.
Source: https://www.comparitech.com/news/ransomware-gang-says-it-hacked-the-sheriff-of-hamilton-county-tn/
TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/hamilton-county-government
"id": "ham752051225",
"linkid": "hamilton-county-government",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "5/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Law Enforcement',
'location': 'Chattanooga, TN',
'name': 'Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office',
'type': 'Government'}],
'date_detected': '2025-04-14',
'description': 'The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Chattanooga, TN, '
'experienced a significant ransomware attack on April 14, '
'2025, claimed by the Qilin gang. The attack disrupted the '
'sheriff’s office IT systems for over two weeks, leading to '
'the shutdown of essential services like the website, warrant '
'search, tip line, and mugshot database. The hackers demanded '
'a $300,000 ransom, but the sheriff’s office paid $48,000 to a '
'cybersecurity firm instead. The extent of personal data '
'compromised and the method of breach are still unverified.',
'impact': {'downtime': 'over two weeks',
'operational_impact': 'Shutdown of essential services',
'systems_affected': ['website',
'warrant search',
'tip line',
'mugshot database']},
'motivation': 'financial',
'ransomware': {'ransom_demanded': '$300,000'},
'response': {'third_party_assistance': 'cybersecurity firm'},
'threat_actor': 'Qilin gang',
'title': 'Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Ransomware Attack',
'type': 'ransomware'}